Ring and bar delay line

ABSTRACT

A &#39;&#39;&#39;&#39;ring and bar&#39;&#39;&#39;&#39; type of delay line has rings formed by plates connected by metal tubes 5 through which a coolant liquid, having good dielectric properties, is caused to flow. The rings are supported on dielectric blocks which have good thermal conductivity and through which the coolant liquid is caused to circulate.

United States Patent Epsztein et al. 1 Sept. 5, 1972 [54] RING AND BAR DELAY LINE 3,370,197 2/1968 Dix ..315/3.5

In e tors: rnard Gerard Kanl Buck 1 X mmwicz. Pierre Ribout a" of Paris 3,353,058 11/1967 Froom ..315/3.5 France 2,853,642 9/1958 Birdsall et al ..315/3.5 3,443,146 5/1969 Buck ..3l5/3.5 [73] Assignee: Thomson-CSF Primary ExaminerHerman Karl Saalbach [22] 1971 Assistant Examiner--Saxfield Chatmon, Jr. [2]] App]. No,; 114,465 Att0meyEdwin E. Greigg 30 F A h t P" t D8 [57] ABSTRACT orei 'o ta gn pp ca I n on y A ring and bar type of delay line has rings fonned Feb. 13, 1970 France ..7005166 by plates connected by metal tubes 5 through which a coolant liquid, having good dielectric properties, is [52] US. Cl. ..333/31, 315/35, 315/393 caused to flow. [51] 11.1; CI. ..H03h 7/30 The rings are supported on dielectric blocks which [58] Field of Search ..315/3.5, 3.6, 39.3; 333/31 A have good thermal conductivity and through which the coolant liquid is caused to circulate. [56] References Cited 7 Claims, 6 Drawing Figures UNITED STATES PATENTS 2,957,103 10/1960 Birdsall ..315/3.6

PATENTEDSEP- 51972 3689:8 52

sum 1 are I RING AND BAR DELAY LINE The present invention relates to delay lines, more particularly to the delay lines of the ring and bar type," which are employed in high power wide-band travelling wave tubes.

As those skilled in the art will appreciate, the rings of a line of this kind, while being often circular, can also have a closed periphery of any other shape.

A line of this kind is fixed to the envelope of the tube and is insulated there from by a dielectric support which has good thermal conductivity, for example, beryllium oxide glucine). However, for high power tubes, the heat dissipation in a structure of this kind is often inadequate. It is an object of the invention to overcome this drawback.

The structure described here makes it possible to increase the heat dissipating capacity of the delay line by causing cooling liquid to circulate through the line.

This liquid should have a high specific heat and a good heat transfer coefficient, and in addition good dielectric properties, since it is caused to flow through the line after having passed through the metal envelope, the latter having to, be electrically insulated from the line. Well known fluorochemical liquids, are well suited to closed-circuit cooling of delay lines of the invention.

According to the invention, there is provided a delay line of the ring and bar type comprising a plurality of rings, each ring including two plate portions, positioned opposite each other and two tube portions connecting said plates, connections for connecting each of said rings to the adjacent one, said connections alternately occupying diametrally opposed positions, and means for causing a coolant to circulate through said tubes.

The invention will be better understood, and other of its features rendered apparent from the consideration of the ensueing description and the accompanying drawings in which:

FIG. 1 illustrates in perspective a partial view of a delay line in accordance with the invention:

FIGS. 2a, 2b and 2c illustrate respectively a top view, a view in section along b-b, and a view in section along c-c of the delay line of FIG. 1.; and

FIGS. 3a and 3b show sectional views of a modification. In FIG. 1, the rings of the delay line in accordance with the invention are formed by a first set of metal plate portions 1A, 2A, 3A, 4A, associated with a further set of metal plate portions 13, 2B, 3B, 4B, the latter being respectively located opposite the former, and connected thereto by metal tubes 5 brazed at their ends 6 to the said plate portions.

Adjacent plate portions, such as 1A, and 2A, 3A and 4A of the first set of plates, are integrally connected by pairs by plate portions'or bars 7 whilst plate portions 23 and 3B, 4B and 53, etc.. of the second set of plate portions are integrally associated by pairs by plate portions or bars 8. The assemblies, respectively formed by adjacent plates 2B and 3B, 4B and 58 etc. and their interconnecting plate 8 rest on respective dielectric, for example alumine, blocks 9B to which they are brazed. The same is true for the plate 1B. Similarly the assemblies formed by associated plates 1A and 2A, 3A and 4A etc. and their interconnecting plate 7 are supported by blocks 9A. For the sake of clarity, only blocks 9B are shown in FIG. 1. The last plate of the first set also is supported by a block 9A.

The supports 9A and 9B, which take, for example, the fonn of rectangular parallelepipeds 9A and 9B are pierced, as shown in FIGS. 2a and 2b, by two passages 10, having a large diameter opening at their end 12, and smaller diameter opening at their opposite end 13. The metal tubes 5 are inserted into the openings 13 and brazed in position therein, whilst the openings 12 are connected by metal tubes 16 of similar diameter to a cooling liquid distribution circuit 17, shaped, for example, as two parallelepipeds 17A and 17B located respectively above and below the delay line and connected with one another externally by piping arrangements, not shown in the figure, reservoir 17A being the input reservoir for the coolant and reservoir 17B being the output reservoir.

Another embodiment is illustrated in section in FIGS. 3a and 3b. The delay line is brazed to two monoblock insulating supports 22 and 23 which respectively replace the sets of supports 9A and 9B. In these supports, which may also be made, for example, of alumina, are formed the passages 10. Grooves 24 are machined in the supports 22 and 23 in order to increase the electrical interval separating two consecutive assemblies of one of the same set, thus eliminating any possibility of arcing.

In these two embodiments, each assembly, formed by two plate portions and a linking bar, is machined as an integral body.

Of course, the invention is not limited to the embodiments described and illustrated which were given solely by way of example. In particular the shape of the plates and bars can be modified as also can the shape and the position of the reservoir, or reservoirs, containing the coolant liquid.

What is claimed, is:

1. A delay line of the ring and bar type comprising a pluralityof rings, each ring including two plate portions, positioned opposite each other and two tube portions connecting said plates, bar connections for connecting each of said rings to the adjacent one, said bar connections alternately occupying diametrally opposed positions, and means for causing a coolant to circulate through said tubes.

2. A delay line as claimed-in claim 1 wherein said plates form a first set of coplanar plates and a second set of coplanar plates, parallel to said first set, said bar connections connecting said plates of said first set by pairs starting from one end of said set, and said bar connections connecting said plates of said second set by pairs starting from the other end, the number of said plates in each set being uneven.

3. A delay line as claimed in claim 2, wherein said pairs of plates and bar connections between them are integral plate structures.

4. A delay line as claimed in claim 2 comprising at least two heat dissipating blocks which respectively support said plates of each set of plates and wherein ducts are formed in said block and means provided to connect said ducts to said tubes through the blocks for coolant circulation.

5. Delay line as claimed in claim 4 comprising two reservoirs to which said ducts are respectively connected.

6. A delay line as claimed in claim 4 wherein there are two pluralities of said blocks, one extreme block of each plurality of blocks being connected to one pair of tubes and the others to two adjacent pairs of tubes.

7. A delay line as claimed in claim 4, wherein grooves are provided in said blocks between the adjacent pairs of tubes. 5 

1. A delay line of the ''''ring and bar'''' type comprising a plurality of rings, each ring including two plate portions, positioned opposite each other and two tube portions connecting said plates, bar connections for connecting each of said rings to the adjacent one, said bar connections alternately occupying diametrally opposed positions, and means for causing a coolant to circulate through said tubes.
 2. A delay line as claimed in claim 1 wherein said plates form a first set of coplanar plates and a second set of coplanar plates, parallel to said first set, said bar connections connecting said plates of said first set by pairs starting from one end of said set, and said bar connections connecting said plates of said second set by pairs starting from the other end, the number of said plates in each set being uneven.
 3. A delay line as claimed in claim 2, wherein said pairs of plates and bar connections between them are integral plate structures.
 4. A delay line as claimed in claim 2 comprising at least two heat dissipating blocks which respectively support said plates of each set of plates and wherein ducts are formed in said block and means provided to connect said ducts to said tubes through the blocks for coolant circulation.
 5. Delay line as claimed in claim 4 comprising two reservoirs to which said ducts are respectively connected.
 6. A delay line as claimed in claim 4 wherein there are two pluralities of said blocks, one extreme block of each plurality of blocks being connected to one pair of tubes and the others to two adjacent pairs of tubes.
 7. A delay line as claimed in claim 4, wherein grooves are provided in said blocks between the adjacent pairs of tubes. 